SHEKEL - Inclusion for People with Disabilities

Community Living

Community Living

SHEKEL’s community housing program constitutes Israel's most extensive community housing network for people with disabilities. Operating a broad range of housing options, that span more than 100 housing units, SHEKEL’s ‘living as part of the community’ housing program, serves over 300 residents with wide-ranging needs and abilities, from all sectors of Israeli society, including religious and secular Jews and Arabs.
All SHEKEL apartments are well maintained and located in the heart of the general community, in local Jerusalem neighbourhoods, both Jewish and Arab, in Israel’s central region and on kibbutzim . SHEKEL stresses inclusion and connection with the local community...

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational Rehabilitation

SHEKEL provides a broad continuum of vocational opportunities and vocation-oriented activity for people with all types of disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, people with learning disabilities, sensory and/or physical disabilities and people with severe multiple disabilities who require round-the-clock care. Intended for people from all sectors of Israeli society, SHEKEL's vocational programs serve both religious and secular Jews and Arabs.
SHEKEL's vocational vision and goals, focus on providing people with disabilities holistic vocational frameworks suited to their individual abilities, with the aim of enabling each person to...

Therapeutic Services

Therapeutic Services

The Toni Eliashar SHEKEL Therapeutic Center
The Toni Eliashar SHEKEL Therapeutic Center meets the critical therapeutic counseling needs of children, youth, and adults with special needs who are recognized as such by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare's Department for Persons with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities' Rehabilitation Wing, the Ministry's Autism Division, and/or the Adult Probation Service. Due to the Ministry's recognition, these individuals are often entitled to the Center's therapeutic services free of charge.
The Center provides therapy for individuals and couples, conducts seminars and group programs, and offers counseling for parents and professionals.

Children and Youth

Children and Youth

SHEKEL opened the extended school day program in special education schools in 1992. The goal of the program is to make it easier for families by enabling them to continue raising their younger children at home without requiring an external solution. The extended school day program operates in the following special education schools and kindergartens:
The Hettena School (for severely disabled children)
The Dvir HaChadash School
The Kiach School (serving Jewish and Arab children with deafness)
The Edi Shore Kindergarten
The Gan Nofar Kindergarten in Petach Tikva
The program's staff numbers 65 people, including coordinators, activity instructors and professionals such...

Enrichment and Leisure

Enrichment and Leisure

SHEKEL's Enrichment and Leisure Program operates and develops a plethora of culture, leisure, social, and sports programs for over 1,000 people with intellectual, emotional, developmental, and sensory disabilities, from every sector of Israeli society. Most programs operate in the framework of standard community services: institutions of higher education, cultural and sports clubs, and enrichment or leisure establishments.
SHEKEL's Leisure Program runs programs in the fields of art, theater, music, media, sports, recreation, para-medical treatment, and general enrichment. The Program operates with the support of the Ministries of Health, Social Welfare, ...

Accessibility

Accessibility

The Israel Accessibility Center
Founded in 1998 with the goal of advancing and developing knowledge and information in the area of accessibility for people with disabilities. It was established with a view to improving planning and implementation processes for both physical accessibility and accessibility of services. The Center has promoted the concept of accessibility at a major level, by developing accessibility for hundreds of projects throughout Israel, and implementing groundbreaking accessibility for Israel's public transport systems. The Center provides professional consulting and planning services for a wide variety of bodies, while developing specialization and expertise in a number of areas, ...

International

International

SHEKEL gives courses and lectures for professionals from many countries around the world. Some of these activities are conducted together with MASHAV – Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel's embassies in the Diaspora, and foreign embassies in Israel. Training is offered on the following subjects:
The Community's Approach in Responding to People with Special Needs
Training Employees How to Work with People with Disabilities
Accessibility
Social and Sex Education for Professionals Who Work with People with Special Needs
Tailored training programs by special request
Countries that have participated in SHEKEL's training programs include...